Such a Beautiful Lie
by TheWheelofFate
Summary: Kaiya is given a way to stop the Infinite Tsukuyomi from the inside, but when she loses part of her memory, she can't remember which world she truly belongs to. When a stranger comes to put her back on track, she discovers that there is greater evil afoot. However, that evil may not be enough to strip her away from such a beautiful lie. Spinoff of 'Salvation'. AU.


**Yay, I finally got on here for the first time in...yeah. So here's the first chapter. Might be a little while for some of the other ones, just because this is taken from 'Walk the Path Stained with Light', so I really didn't have to do anything to it. But I hope you (whoever 'you' are) sticks around for more. So...here's chapter 1. **

1. Say Goodbye

"Sasuke?" The raven-haired boy stopped in his tracks, slow to turn around.

"Kaiya. What do you want?" The girl stared at him, disbelief flooding her eyes and flowing down her face in silent tears. She had seen Sakura lying unconscious on the bench; she saw the backpack he was carrying. She knew what it meant, but she wanted to be wrong.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, stepping closer. The look in his eyes from earlier that day seemed to have gotten worse. His hands were in his pockets casually; he couldn't look her in the eyes.

"Kaiya…" The Uchiha lowered his head and closed his eyes, his expression softening as he matched her gaze for the first time since the fight with Itachi. "I can't stay here anymore. I need…more power, so I'm going to Orochimaru. I know he's your biggest enemy, but…I have no choice. It's come down to this." Kaiya started shaking so badly her vision faltered from time to time.

"Sasuke…you told me you'd never abandon me," she whispered, reaching out for him. "I believed you…" She was so heartbroken, she couldn't even finish her sentence. But it didn't matter, because Sasuke knew what she was trying to say—and he didn't care.

"What do you want from me, Kaiya?" he asked coldly. "What do I have that you can't find in someone else?" His face once again hardened under the full moon's light.

"You understand a part of me that no one else does," she told him. "Being with you makes me happy, happier than you could ever know. I feel like I have a family again. I feel like Orochimaru never existed, like there's nothing wrong with me." Sasuke grunted and started to turn around.

"Don't start this," he said quietly. "I'm out of options." After a pause, he added, "You're stronger than I am." For a moment, Kaiya thought he would break down and cry. But he didn't. "Itachi…he's stronger than I am. And if I stay here, I'll never be able to defeat him."

"Then maybe you shouldn't try." Sasuke once again stared into Kaiya's eyes, hatred overcoming the love he once felt for her.

"What do you know? Orochimaru was a stranger that came into your house and killed your family…my own brother destroyed mine. It's not the same!"

"Do you hear yourself?" she shouted back at him. "What was the whole reason we became friends in the first place? It's because we both had someone take everything away from us! Revenge is revenge, justice is justice; hatred is hatred, and evil is evil. It's all the same, Sasuke. All we're doing is wasting away our lives striving for revenge. We're empty inside, and we need each other."

"If you really believe that, then join me. Put aside your hatred for Orochimaru and become stronger. When you forget your revenge, I'll forget mine." Kaiya's hands fell to her sides. She couldn't believe what he had just suggested. After she didn't answer, he nodded. "That's what I thought. You're all talk, all of you…" Sasuke turned his back on Kaiya for the first time, and she would never forget it. She reached out to him and grabbed his hand, turning him slightly back towards her. He grabbed hers back surprisingly, looking at the ground.

_How do I say goodbye?_ he thought. _How do I severe our bond?_

"Please, Sasuke," she begged. "I don't want to lose you the same way I lost Itachi." Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, and then his hand went limp.

"There was a time when I thought I could live here in peace," he told her, "with you. Nothing will change the way I felt about you, Kaiya. But…I can no longer hold on to what we had. In order for me to become stronger, my heart must be filled with only hatred for my brother, and anyone else standing in my way." Kaiya took a deep breath, but couldn't let it out. "Our friendship is over. It means nothing to me anymore…_you_ mean nothing to me. And I shouldn't mean anything to you, either." Kaiya was now sobbing as hard as she had the day her father died. There was nothing she could say or do to keep him from leaving.

"I…love you, Sasuke," she uttered between the tears. She had finally admitted it to him, and herself. And now…it was too late. Sasuke seemed surprised at first, and maybe even a little relieved, but his emotions quickly faded.

"I loved you, too," he replied. When he turned around he added, "Goodbye, Kaiya. Thank you…for everything." He appeared behind her in a flash, and all of a sudden, her world turned as black as Sasuke's heart.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Kaiya! Kaiya!" Kioko shouted. She barely heard it, coming into consciousness and back out again. "K-Kaiya!" When Kioko found her, she was lying in a pile of soft grass underneath a tree, eyes hardly open. "Ronin-sensei!" In less than a second, he appeared beside them.

"Kaiya…" He gently took Kaiya and lifted her onto his back, standing to his feet.

"Is she gonna be ok, Ronin-sensei?" Kioko asked. The young man nodded.

"Mm." He carried her to the infirmary, where Tsunade checked her for any injuries.

"She's fine," the new Hokage clarified, handing her assistant, Shizune, a clipboard. "She's just emotionally distressed, physically tired…heartbroken." Ronin shook his head.

"When I get my hands on him…"

"Don't let him get to you…in his situation it was bound to happen sooner or lat—"

"I wasn't talking about Sasuke," Ronin corrected her. "I was talking about Orochimaru." Tsunade nodded gravely.

"He knew it would happen like this," she said, thinking of her old teammate. "At this point, it would be foolish to rush into something we're not ready for. You understand, don't you, Ronin?" The latter clenched his fists. In Kaiya's unconscious body he saw Yasuo's cold figure lying on the floor of his compound, the name _Orochimaru _written in his own blood underneath him.

"Yeah, I know." After contemplating the situation, Tsunade called in Shikamaru Nara to lead a retrieval squad to find Sasuke. Orochimaru wasn't going to win without a fight.

OOOOOOOOOO

Kaiya had been unconscious half of the day. When she finally opened her eyes, the sun was starting its decent, halfway in the sky. Usagi and Kioko were sitting on either side of her. Usagi immediately saw her wake.

"I'll get the Hokage." She ran to get Tsunade from her office.

"What did he do to you, Kaiya?" Kioko asked, once the third member of their team was gone. Kaiya closed her eyes again, slow to answer.

"He didn't do anything," she said, reopening her eyes. "I did it to myself. I believed that Sasuke wouldn't follow the path of darkness. I thought…I thought I could stop him, by just being his friend."

"It's not your fault," Kioko told her. "Don't blame yourself for that jerk hurting you."

"It doesn't matter. He's gone now, anyway." Kioko smirked.

"Hn. Giving up already?" Kaiya blinked.

"What?"

"Shikamaru is leading a retrieval team right now," Kioko explained. "We're going to get him back."

"Who's all gone?" Kaiya wondered. Kioko shrugged.

"Pretty much everyone except us and a few others. We decided not to leave you." Kaiya sat up. She'd never stayed in bed so long, and now she had a few cricks in her neck. Rubbing them away, she shook her head.

"I let him get away," she said quietly. "I let him go."

"They'll bring him back," Kioko promised. "They're doing everything they can. Naruto's there too. He wouldn't let you down." Tsunade entered the room and ran a few tests on Kaiya. When she saw done, she pointed to Usagi and Kioko.

"Alright, you two, it's time to go. Kaiya needs her rest." Kioko nodded, giving Kaiya a sad smile before leaving the room with the others.

"I'll come back later," she promised, closing the door behind her. Sitting there, Kaiya stared at her feet. _How could I let him go?_

OOOOOOOOOO

"Kaiya, I'm bac—" Kioko cried out suddenly. Tsunade, Usagi, and Ronin quickly ran to the room.

"What is it, what's wrong?" Tsunade asked, balling her fist.

"Kaiya, she's gone!" Tsunade pushed the door aside, almost knocking it off its hinges. As Kioko said, the bed was empty, as was the room.

"Where could she have gone?" Usagi asked. Ronin groaned and closed his eyes. "What is it, Ronin-sensei?"

"Sasuke." Kioko's eyes widened. The Sasuke Retrieval Squad had just left half an hour before. She could easily catch up to them before nightfall.

"Usagi, Kioko, Ronin—" The three nodded.

"Right!"

OOOOOOOOOO

Kaiya ran as fast as she could through the trees. She had to stop Sasuke from making a huge mistake. She surpassed her limit on speed, and went faster still. There was no way she was giving up on Sasuke.

She loved him. She said so herself.

Her love for Sasuke was more than infatuation. They were one in the same; they were a part of each other. And the fact that she would give up her world to save him, that proved that they had a bond, a bond that went deeper than any other connection she had with anyone. Even her own father.

"They could be anywhere by now," she told herself. As soon as she'd said it, Kaiya came across the team. Shikamaru was the first to turn around, upon Neji's warning. There was no need for him to turn around, of course.

"Kaiya," he said, stopping. Shikamaru stopped in the front, and everyone else followed.

"Kaiya? What…?" Shikamaru glared into the treetops. "Kaiya, what the heck are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the hospital." She jumped down from the canopy, landing beside Neji.

"I'm not going to let him join my worst enemy. I won't lose him like I lost his brother." Only Shikamaru knew a fraction of what she was talking about, but he didn't press her any further about it. Naruto ran to Kaiya and hugged her hard, and she squeezed him back. She turned back to Shikamaru. "Tell me what's going on," she demanded, crossing her arms.

"No way am I dragging you into this." Kaiya got in Shikamaru's face, giving him the glare of a lifetime.

"I'm not leaving until Sasuke is with us," she told him. "I'll deal with Lady Tsunade later."

"It's not the Hokage I'm worried about." After she glowered at him some more, he sighed. It was obvious she wasn't going home anytime soon. "Fine, fine. But you're not my responsibility. Got it?" _Troublesome woman… _Kaiya nodded. She followed in front of Neji.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Any last words before I end your pathetic existence?" Kimimaro asked, holding out a sharp bone to Kaiya's throat. She was lying on her back, facing the young man who had been brainwashed by Orochimaru. She glared at him.

"Such a sad life," she said. "You can't even see when you're being lied to." Kimimaro's eyes widened slightly, but then they narrowed.

"You know nothing of my master," he told her. "You know nothing of Orochimaru! He took me in when I had no one; he gave me purpose. And since I cannot give to him the body he desires, I will give to him the power he desires…you!" He reared his weapon back, ready to end Kaiya's life abruptly. She closed her eyes, but reopened them when nothing happened seconds later.

Kimimaro was still there, holding his weapon an inch away from her face. Sand was holding his wrist back. She gasped. There was only one person who could do that.

"G-Gaara!"

The redhead, with his arms crossed, was standing over Kaiya's body, right above her head. His constant frown deepened as his sand pushed Kimimaro several yards away. Kaiya shakily stood to her feet, the young Sand nin helping her. She smirked.

"Of all the people who could have saved my life…I would have never guessed it to be you." His eyes followed her as she dusted herself off, turning to Lee. He was intoxicated, and didn't seem to be too hurt. However, she didn't figure he knew where he was, or what he was doing. But as long as he was alive, she couldn't complain.

"Who are you?" Kimimaro asked, picking himself up from the dirt. Gaara's eyes lowered.

"We're Shinobi…of the Sand." _We? So all three of them are…_ Kimimaro scowled.

"It makes no difference who you are. You will all perish." Gaara's eyes averted to Kaiya.

"The blonde…he's your friend, isn't he?"

"Naruto? He's my best friend." Gaara nodded.

"Go to him. I'll take care of things here." Kaiya lowered her gaze at the thought. She wanted to, but she didn't want to leave them with this maniac. She shook her head.

"He's fine. I can—"

"A comrade will stay and fight while their teammate goes off to chase the enemy," Gaara told her. "But a friend would risk his life to protect their teammate from any kind of danger, no matter the circumstances or the odds." Kaiya closed her eyes. When she opened them, she nodded.

"You're right." She started to run off in Naruto and Sasuke's direction. Before she disappeared, she turned around. "Thank you, Gaara. I owe you."

OOOOOOOOOO

Kaiya arrived on the scene just as Sasuke was walking away. It was raining, Sasuke's clothes were torn to pieces, and Naruto lay unconscious, battered and bruised.

"Naruto!" Sasuke stopped across the chasm and glared behind him. Ignoring him, Kaiya ran to her best friend's side. He was alive, but he needed medical attention. Sasuke scoffed at her, turning and continuing in the distance.

Before he disappeared, he heard: "Sasuke!" Against his better judgment, he stopped and turned around. Without a word, he stared at Kaiya, who stood a few hundred feet away. Even from that distance, he saw the pain in her eyes, and so he closed his own. He couldn't let her see the war inside of him—he almost ran back to her.

But he didn't.

In two seconds, she was face-to-face with him. Her expression was one of sadness, anger, and confusion.

"Kaiya, we've already been through this. Leave." He started to walk away, but she grabbed his shoulder. He let her.

"I know I can't change your mind," she said, trying not to cry. "But I wanted to at least tell you goodbye…" Without any warning, she engulfed him in a hug. She squeezed him so tightly their heartbeats were beginning to merge together. The smell of her hair brought back so many memories. He would miss her, more than anything in the world. Slowly, his arms wrapped around her back. In no time, they were cutting off one another's oxygen. After a few minutes of standing still, Sasuke opened his eyes.

"I have to go," he said, gradually loosening his grip around her back. "It's time." She nodded, gently taking her arms from around his neck. For just a moment, they stayed against his chest, and his hands on her waist. Her head rested underneath his chin, and she sighed. Making a last minute decision, he tilted his head and kissed her on the cheek, just like she had done to him before. Kaiya lowered her head slightly, afterwards touching her face.

"I'll miss you," she told him sadly, backing away.

"Kaiya." She looked up at Sasuke eagerly. "When you're ready to face Orochimaru…I'll be there. Beside you." She nodded as he wiped stray tears from her eyes; they were almost undetectable in the rain. She gave him a sad, weak smile.

"Take this." Kaiya reached around the back of her neck, taking off a necklace Sasuke hadn't known she was wearing. "It was…my mother's. My father gave it to her when they got married, and my Uncle Asuma gave it to me before I started the Academy." Sasuke stared at the pendant; it was the symbol of the Leaf made from fine metal, and a reddish-orange stone in the middle. "It's a fire crystal," she explained. "It stands for blessing—my mother added it after I was born. I want you to have it, so you won't forget me." Sasuke lowered his head, letting Kaiya drape it over his neck.

"Don't forget me either," he replied.

"I could never forget you, Sasuke. Never." He nodded, and in a flash, he was gone, giving her one last smirk before he disappeared.

As soon as he left, Kaiya returned to Naruto's side. Sometime later, Kakashi showed up beside them with a few medical ninjas. Kaiya turned, her head lowered in shame and regret. Before she could say anything to him, her team appeared. Ronin's face showed sheer disappointment, rage, and worry, but he said nothing, only offered his hand. Kaiya shakily took it, and he carried her off on his back. Kioko and Usagi were close behind.

They took a different route than Kakashi, so that Naruto and Kaiya didn't have to face each other.

They had failed in bringing Sasuke home. They had failed to keep their promises.


End file.
